Concert pianist, composer and teacher György Banhalmi (1926-1985) was born in Budapest and studied with Bela Ambrozy at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of his hometown. He was an official state soloist with the Hungarian Philharmonic Institute and Budapest Radio and gave many concerts in Europe and the Far East. In 1957 he emigrated to the United States and performed there with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was the recipient of five international piano awards, including the Talman Award of the Society of American Musicians. He taught at the Music Center of the North Shore (currently the Music Institute of Chicago).